Okay, so I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980 for the longest time. But you know, those things are crazy expensive, and finding one in a specialty store? Forget about it. So, I thought, why not try to make one myself? Yeah, it sounds nuts, but I figured it would be a fun project.
Getting Started
First thing I did was gather all the materials I thought I’d need. I’m talking about sheets of metal, some tiny screws, a bunch of watchmaking tools that I barely knew how to use, and a whole lot of patience. I also printed out a bunch of pictures and diagrams of the 5980 from every angle I could find. I basically wallpapered my workspace with them.
The Messy Part
Then came the hard part – actually making the thing. I started by trying to shape the metal into the basic form of the watch case. Let me tell you, it was way harder than it looked. I bent, cut, and hammered that metal for hours, and it still looked like a mangled mess. I must have gone through a dozen sheets of metal before I got something that even remotely resembled a watch case. And that was just the case!
- Cutting the little windows for the chronograph and date was another nightmare. I broke so many tiny drill bits, it’s not even funny.
- Polishing the case to get that signature Nautilus shine? Forget about it. I spent days just rubbing that thing with different cloths and polishing compounds, and it still looked dull compared to the real deal.
The Really, Really Hard Part
Next up, the movement. Now, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make a working movement from scratch – I’m not a wizard. So, I cheated a little and bought a cheap automatic movement online. Even with that, fitting it into the case I made was a huge pain. I had to make all these tiny adjustments to the case, and even then, the movement didn’t quite sit right.
The Dial and Hands
The dial was another story. I tried painting it myself, but it looked like a kindergartener’s art project. So I ended up ordering a custom-made dial from some guy online who specializes in this stuff. It wasn’t cheap, but it looked way better than anything I could have done myself. The hands were also tricky. I tried making them from thin strips of metal, but they were all crooked and uneven. I ended up buying those too.
Putting It All Together
Finally, after weeks of work, I had all the parts ready. Putting it all together was like assembling a puzzle where the pieces don’t quite fit. I struggled with those tiny screws, dropped them more times than I can count, and nearly lost my mind a few times. But eventually, I got it all together.
The Result
So, how did it turn out? Well, it’s definitely not a Patek Philippe, but it’s something. It kinda looks like a Nautilus 5980 if you squint your eyes and look at it from far away. It doesn’t actually tell time, and the chronograph buttons are just for show, but hey, I made it. It’s my own little franken-watch, and I’m kinda proud of it, even if it’s a bit of a mess.
Would I do it again? Probably not. It was a fun experiment, but man, it was a lot of work for a watch that doesn’t even work. But I learned a lot, and now I appreciate those real Patek Philippes even more. Those watchmakers are seriously talented, and now I know why those watches cost so much!
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